Live By The Ocean
by neezhnies
Summary: In which Shadow is a vampire, Sonic is a werehog, and Knuckles just wants to protect the Master Emerald from overenthusiastic mythical creatures. [AU]
1. Chapter 1

It's a fair trade off, Knuckles figures, to let Shadow get his dirty, grubby fingers all over _him_ instead of all over the Master Emerald. No one is allowed to touch the Master Emerald, save himself, and he'll be damned if he's going to let some crusty, chaos vampire suck it dry.

As far as vampires go, Shadow isn't…. well, he isn't all that bad, actually. He's quiet, keeps to himself, and, most importantly, he keeps his nose outta Knuckles' business. Sure, he comes up to Angel Island twice a month to pester the echidna for chaos energy but it's a small price to pay for the safety of the emerald and Shadow is always as courteous as he can afford to be. Which, granted, isn't a lot.

"Hey," Knuckles grunts, weakly pressing a fist against the hedgehog's side in warning. "I think you've had enough."

Shadow snorts against his shoulder but stays there, so Knuckles drives one spike into his side and pulls away with a glare.

"Listen, if you want to keep this deal, you need to actually _stick to the deal._ "

The deal is this: Shadow comes up to feed on Knuckles when he needs to in exchange for leaving the Master Emerald completely alone - he's not even allowed to _look_ at it, much less touch it -, and he only takes the bare minimum from the echidna. Anything more can, at worst, kill him and, at best, leave him unable to fulfill his duty as guardian.

Shadow rolls his eyes and raises an ungloved finger to pick at his fangs. "Okay."

"I'm serious."

Shadow shrugs, leans back against the wall of the cave, and says, "okay."

"Ass."

Knuckles heaves himself to his feet, wavering when his knees threaten to collapse in on him. Yeah, definitely way too much.

The echidna is just gearing up to give Shadow a solid punch where there's a boom that cracks through the sky, the ground rumbling violently enough to knock him flat on his butt. He can barely hear Shadow's snicker before it's covered up by the sound of trees being violently uprooted, and the jarring crack of shattering wood shortly thereafter.

By the time Knuckles is back on his feet, everything has fallen still. Apprehensive and weary, he shuffles out into the sunlight. Only a couple meters from the cave, a shallow furrow is torn into the ground, ending in a deep crater that leaves him absolutely furious.

How _dare_ someone ruin the sanctity of Angel Island? They had a lot of nerve not only trespassing, but for tearing so carelessly through the forests he considered home. Anger fueling his every step, he staggers up to the crater and, when it appears that the huge furball nestled in the crater isn't going to retaliate, he chucks a sizeable rock at their head.

The heap of fur lets out a huge sigh, unfurling just enough for Knuckles to see that, oh, that is totally a person and they have quite an impressive arsenal of teeth. They start heaving themselves out of the ground, digging long claws into the earth and clawing up hunks of grass and dirt as they surface. With shambling movements, they finally pull themselves over the edge of the crater and collapse.

Quickly, Knuckles hops away and raises shaking fists. He might be fixing to faint, but he's not going down without getting a few good shots in first. He's about ready to launch himself onto the mess of fur and fangs when the creature gently drops their head onto his foot with a sigh, tongue lolling out of their mouth.

"Ew," Shadow remarks from the mouth of the cave.

As drool starts seeping into his shoes, Knuckles has to agree.

Being careful not to jostle the other… mobian? he guesses, he leans down and stares hard into their face. They're completely down for the count, that's for sure. And despite all the fangs and, ugh, _drool_ he can kind of make out what appears to be the basic facial structure of a hedgehog. He's seen Shadow's face up close enough to feel pretty certain of that. What he's not so certain of is the long muzzle, sharp teeth, and killer claws.

None too gently, he yanks his foot back and lets their head hit the grass. A small growl bubbles up, but there's no further reaction.

"Hey!" he calls back to Shadow, waving at their uninvited guest. "Help me with this."

In response, the vampire gestures vaguely at the sun and steps further back into the shadows of the cave.

Huffing, Knuckles turns back around, heaves one massive arm over his shoulder, and drags the unresponsive beast to the cave. It's harder than it would be normally, but he's got enough strength to get them safely into the cave before he drops his burden.

" _You_ were the one who told me that the sun doesn't actually affect you all too much. That it's all a bunch of 'frivolous rumors'."

"Did I?"

"Yes, you did. So stop looking at me like that."

Shadow scrunches up his nose further, going so far as to bring a hand up to block it. "It's not you, Guardian. It's whatever you dragged in here. It smells like rotting meat."

Knuckles looks faintly surprised. "I just had that thing's arm around my neck. It didn't smell any worse than you do."

The glare sent his way is only slightly diminished by the hand covering half of the hedgehog's face. Shadow looks ready to spit venom when he goes wide eyed, blinking owlishly at the heap of dark blue fur at Knuckles' feet. "Oh my god," he mutters. "It's a werewolf."

Scratching at his cheek, Knuckles looks from Shadow to the heap of fur, to Shadow and back again. "I'm not sure about that. It's definitely a hedgehog."

Nose still covered, Shadow huffs hard into his palm, "Were _hog_ then, if you're going to be difficult about it. There's no mistaking that awful scent."

"Doesn't matter _what_ it is. I just want it off my island." The words 'It's time for you to leave, too. Take it with you.' go unspoken.

There's a loud, gurgling snort and suddenly Knuckles is swept clean off his feet. When he tries to push himself back up, a huge arm drapes across his back and goes dead, dragging him down. He can't find the energy to heave himself out from under it, so he stays nestled against the thing's side straining to pull away.

"Aw," Shadow snickers. "It likes you."

Knuckles' reply is muffled by coarse fur, but the intent is clear.

"Regardless," Shadow says, scooting closer so he can tap what's visible of Knuckles' head, "the sun isn't going down for a couple of hours and while it won't kill me, I'd rather not go out into it willingly. So why don't you…" He pauses, steps back. "Just take a nap."

There's another mumble of a curse, some futile shuffling, and a loud sigh. Well, at least Shadow can tell he hasn't suffocated yet. Would be a bit of a shame if he did, really. Sure, he'd have unlimited access to the Master Emerald in that case, but, as much as he loathed to admit, the echidna's chaos energy was… nice. Strong, clean, and surprisingly better than the Master itself.

Shadow settles himself down and gets comfy against the stone wall of the cave again, crossing his arms over his chest. Might as well get a little shut eye for himself, too. _If_ he force that awful smell out of his nose long enough to do so.

Time passes slowly, the only sound the heavy breathing of the werehog punctuated by loud, snuffling snores. It's not even five minutes before Shadow picks up Knuckles' low voice.

"What was that?"

Knuckles head finally emerges, though his torso is still trapped. "I said," he coughs, spits out dark fur. "His name is Sonic."


	2. Chapter 2

Shadow blinks. "You know, if you start naming things, you're going to get attached."

Knuckles rolls his eyes and frees one of his hands, a broken collar clutched in his fist. "This was digging into my face. It's a little torn up, but I can tell it says Sonic."

In the darkness of the cave, Knuckles can see Shadow's nose wrinkle up in distaste. The echidna's not too happy about it, either.

Neither of them have much experience with humans. With Knuckles living on a floating island and Shadow doing his best to avoid contact with everyone, mobians included, they don't really ever see humans - though Angel Island does occasionally make its rounds over Station Square. Knuckles has never been to the human city himself, but Shadow has told him stories, none of them entirely pleasant. Limited experience aside, they're still not very fond of humans. And the thought of someone actually _owning_ another Mobian doesn't sit well with either of them, even if said Mobian is a lumbering, drooling monster.

Knuckles chucks the collar to Shadow and frees up his other hand. With a grunt, he's able to dig his fists into the floor of the cave and _pull_ , finally getting out from under the werehog. He brushes long, dark hairs off his coat and breathes a sigh of relief. Behind him, Sonic sleeps on.

When he's deemed himself clean enough, Knuckles plops down next to Shadow. The hedgehog is running his fingers over the scuffed metal, squinting in the low light.

"What? You didn't believe me?"

Shadow doesn't reply right away.

"You know… He most likely won't be able to understand us."

Knuckles raises a brow. "Hang out with a lot of werehogs?"

"No, but this…," he scoffs in disgust, " _collar,_ has more than just a name on it. There's an address, though I can't make it out, and even a blood type on here. Clearly, he's a pet."

An uncomfortable silence settles over them.

* * *

Several hours later, when the sun has finally set, the werehog comes around with a loud snort, startling himself awake. Slowly, the beast raises himself onto all fours, smacking his lips. Knuckles can hear those massive fangs click together and when Sonic stretches, he can see the muscles rippling under his fur.

He and Shadow have long since taken up guard duty near the mouth of the cave, awaiting this exact moment. Ideally, they want to be able to get Sonic off of Angel Island as peacefully as possible - Shadow going with him, for Knuckles' own peace of mind. They're both prepared to throw down if it comes to that, but there's a very faint hope that they'll be able to cut a deal with the werehog.

Before Sonic even turns towards them, they're both on their feet. Knuckles can barely see him, the light of the moon only being enough to light up his wide array of teeth and whites of his eyes.

"Hey," Knuckles says plaintively, raising both massive hands in a peaceful gesture. Shadow shifts beside him, curling and uncurling his fists.

Sonic's head tilts and his ears swivel, but there isn't much else of a reaction. He takes one lumbering step forward… then stops.

Now that Sonic is actually up and about, there's a clear difference not only in muscle mass, but height as well. Knuckles and Shadow both sit at a fairly average height for mobians, but Sonic has them beat by at least a foot. It's only the slightest bit intimidating.

Then Sonic shuffles forward again, starting to get dangerously close, and Knuckles steps closer to challenge him. The werehog stops, staring down at the echidna, head tilting this way and that. Like he can't quite figure out what he's looking at.

"Sonic, right?"

There's an instant change. The werehog's eyes practically light up, and his tongue lolls out of his mouth. In the silence, Sonic's tail cuts through the air with a steady whoosh, back and forth, back and forth. Knuckles will have to take that as a yes.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be able to understand me," Knuckles whispers, nudging Shadow's side.

Shadow gives him a flat look because this is most certainly not the time for one uppery.

"Right, so. Shadow here is going to help you get back home, sound good-"

With a happy huff, Sonic lunges forward and licks a long stripe up the side of Knuckles' face before promptly barreling past the frozen echidna, hedgehog duo and out into the open.

"Ew," Shadow says for the second time in less than twenty-four hours.

Knuckles elbows past him, just a little bit harder than necessary, and takes off after the werehog. Distressingly, Sonic seems to know exactly where he's going and Knuckles instantly wishes he had tossed the heap of fur off the island when he had the chance. He would have survived the fall… Probably. Maybe.

Despite his headstart, it seems that all of Sonic's bulk is enough to weigh him down significantly. It doesn't take long for Knuckles to catch his trail and as he skids around one of the giant, looming mushrooms of Mushroom Hill Zone, he can see Sonic's tail disappear through a clump of ferns.

"Where is he going?" Shadow says from his side, appearance so sudden Knuckles almost loses his footing. It has been years since they first met, but the echidna is still unsure whether or not the incredible speed is a vampire thing or just a regular old Shadow thing - he's never really felt the need to ask.

Forging ahead, Knuckles doesn't answer. He has a hunch where the werehog is going and he doesn't like it.

Shadow seems to accept the guardian's silence as an answer - another thing Knuckles reluctantly likes about the guy: he never asks too many questions.

As they dodge and weave through the thick forest of Mushroom Hill Zone, they're only able to catch fleeting glances of Sonic: his tail, a hind leg, his ridiculously spiky cleats. And… why? How is he navigating through the dense foliage so much more efficiently than them? He's larger and slower, and yet he's managing to stay just out of their reach.

The closer they get to the edge of the Zone, the more apprehensive Knuckles becomes. It's difficult for them to ignore the sudden influx of chaos energy in the air.

Sonic is heading straight for the Master Emerald.

Shadow's pace picks up and Knuckles has to push himself to stay to level with him. Together, they drift around toadstools and a few inconveniently placed trees. The moon is high in the sky, casting just enough light for them to avoid crashing into each other or getting caught on the terrain. Sonic is still ahead of them, a dark mass scattering dead leaves and ripping up clods of earth.

"I thought the Master Emerald was in Hidden Palace," Shadow says, ducking under some hanging ivy.

"It was. I moved it after you found it."

The echidna can feel Shadow's heavy stare on the side of his face and he smiles, jumping over a shattered boulder.

"Did you really think I would leave it where you could find it?"

"Hm." He actually seems to think about it, "... No."

They skid around one more shroom and screech to a halt. Through the thinning trees, they finally catch of a glimpse of the shrine - and Sonic too, perched near the hanging bridge that connects Mushroom Hill Zone to Shrine Isle. The shrine itself is set in the middle of the island, nestled between the crumbling remains of a once glorious arrangement of stone pillars. There's a green glow that lights up the compact island.

"Hey!" Knuckles shouts, marching towards the werehog.

Sonic tilts his head at Knuckles, flicking his ears. He looks entirely unphased by the echidna's anger and who can really blame him? Knuckles is… well, he's small, in comparison and really not too much of a threat save for the the spikes on his fists. And just as Knuckles gets in striking range, Sonic turns tail and sprints across the bridge.

To Knuckles' relief, he stops right before the stairs leading up to the Master Emerald. It's almost like… like he's waiting for Shadow and Knuckles to follow him. Sonic's ears flick again, as if to mock them for being too slow.

Sonic leaps up the first step, waits for Knuckles and Shadow to catch up, then hops to the next step: rinsing and repeating until they're all standing before the Emerald.

"Alright, that's close enough," Knuckles says, moving to stand in front of them and bar their path. "I want both of you off of my island _now._ "

Shadow scoffs, crossing his arms. "We're already here, we might as well-"

Knuckles jabs his mitt into the poof of white fur on Shadow's chest. "No. I'm already going to have to relocate because some mutt led you here. I am not letting you get any closer than you need to, vamp."

"Knuckles, that's not very nice."

The echidna freezes, slowly turning to face the object of their argument.

"Hello, Tikal," Shadow says over Knuckle's shoulder, giving a lazy wave.

"Shadow! It's been too long!"

Slowly, Tikal shimmers into view. Her image is green and glowing, casting strange, slanting patterns across the stones of the altar. The Master Emerald is visible through her torso and when Sonic bats a massive paw through her form in curiosity, she flickers, going static.

"Well hello there," she laughs, instantly reforming in a glimmering light. "I see my dear cousin is making new friends." Well, third cousin plus give or take a couple of generations.

Sonic yips at her, tail thumping the ground.

"Oh," she says, looking concerned. "You're a strange one, aren't you?"

Sonic simply passes his paw through her again, and Knuckles has to resist jumping to Tikal's defense. It's not like he's actually _hurting_ her, it just seems rude.

"He's a werewolf. Of course he's strange." Knuckles thumbs over his shoulder. "Just like the leech over here."

The vampire grunts, eyes narrowing.

"Knuckles, don't be rude," she admonishes. "And that's not what I mean. Your new friend here-"

"Sonic."

"Thank you. _Sonic_ is not a werewolf - at least, not by blood. He's bursting with Gaia, specifically Dark Gaia. There's so much I can actually see it seeping out of him."

Knuckles and Shadow both look completely uncomprehending.

Tikal sighs and Sonic snorts in an imitation of a laugh.

"As you both know, Chaos is what governs all life on this planet. Every living creature gives off chaos energy, and some more than others. People like you, Knuckles, give off much more than, say, some of the mobini here on Angel Island or the humans living in Station Square. Shadow also gives off chaos energy, but he's much better at controlling how much he allows to escape."

Shadow nudges Knuckles' in the ribs, smirking. One point for crusty, old hedgehogs.

"But Chaos is not the only force on this planet. There are the Old Gods - older than me, older than Chaos, even older than the Master Emerald - and they are what keep the world in balance. They would be Light and Dark Gaia. And Sonic is a creature of Dark Gaia."

Sonic whines, batting at her again.

"Ah, well, he's been made into a creature of Dark Gaia. Sorry, Sonic."

He gives her a wide, toothy grin, flicking his ears. _S'all good._

Knuckles holds his hand out. "And…?"

Tikal's eyes shift to him, glowing in the dark. "And I think you two should help him."


End file.
